Intra-family and school violence scale using the Item Response Theory

Abstract Violence is a global public health problem and may be of a physical, sexual, or psychological nature, or due to negligence. In order to evaluate this situation, instruments are needed that can assess this widely diverse scenario. The scope of this research was to develop a scale to evaluate intra-family and school violence. In this study, the questionnaire on violence proposed by the World Health Organization and included in the Health and Nutrition Monitoring System – Nutrition of Students, was used. The questionnaire was applied to adolescents of both sexes, enrolled in public schools in the city of Piracicaba, Brazil, in 2014. The gradual response model of the Item Response Theory (IRT) was used to create the scale and analyze the questions contained in the questionnaire. The scale presented more precise information for levels of above average violence, implying greater applicability for populations at risk of intra-family and school violence. The use of the scale is proposed as a new approach to assess intra-family and school violence in future studies.